Porsche 918 Spyder is a Hit in Monterey!

What a great weekend in Monterey!

Porsche invited a select group of Porsche owners up to Monterey, California during Car Week for a very special encounter with the 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept. Potential customers were escorted to a super secret location, a private aircraft hanger, where the 918 Spyder was displayed with minimal distractions. The high-tech stage was lit from below with a soft green light and lit from above with clean white halogen and all you saw when you entered the room was the 918 in all its glory.



Each visitor was assigned a personal guide that presented the car's features and answered all of their questions including the inevitable, "When can I get mine?" To which the answer was always, "The 918 has just been approved for production. We'll be keeping you informed of the progress." Some rumors are floating around that we should see the 918 debut as a 2015 model in 2014. Hard to say for sure, but for now we are just happy that Porsche confirmed that the car will indeed be produced.



The guides informed us that several changes will be made to the final version but what we were shown is very VERY close to what will be offered in the Beverly Hills Porsche showroom. The side pipes will most likely move to the rear and Porsche designers will rework the rear fascia to accommodate a license plate. The 22" wheels will be replaced with 20" rims and if they can't get the super cool rear-view cameras approved by EU and USA DOTs we'll see a mirrors instead. I for one hope they are able to keep the cameras!



Power is expected to increase from the petrol engine and as E-Drive development advances we may see some changes with final electric motor BHP outputs. The biggest challenge right now is to find a way to keep the car super light. Porsche hopes that battery technology they are experimenting with will save precious pounds in the production version.



The press had their own time with the car and were treated to a chance to see the car in motion. J.F. Musial and crew shot this amazing video of the 918 Spyder on the beautiful back-roads of Monterey as Michael Mauer, Head of Design for Porsche narrates.

My favorite quote, "There were big, big question marks about the future of these types of cars, and therefore as well the future of the Porsche brand ... so therefore we wanted to have this symbol that there is a future."

Countdown to Motion: Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid Drives. from TangentVector on Vimeo.

Celebrity Porsche fans like California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jay Leno were also treated to VIP showings. The absolute highlight for me was to see Jay wave the exhaust up to his nose like a Master Chef testing the bouquet of a prized dish. The expression on his face was priceless. You can see his gesture on the "Jay Leno's Garage" video below.



On Sunday Porsche treated the public to a display during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Michael Mauer drove the car up to the display area while Porsche fans from all around the world watched in wonder.

I think it is safe to say that the Porsche 918 Spyder stole the show 918 different ways. Will it be hard to wait three and a half years for the 918 to show up in Los Angeles? Sure... but great things come to those who wait!

To see close up photos of MY visit to the Porsche 918 Spyder display check out our Beverly Hills Porsche page on Flickr: HERE

To be included in our 918 Spyder Interest List please call Beverly Hills Porsche at 310.557.2472

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